Digimon Frontier: The Darkest Seven
by WitcheyMarina
Summary: A new team of evil Digimon began to rise and Time itself was slowed in the Digital World. Will the Frontier gang and five new DigiDestined be enough to help save the Digital World, or will they all face destruction? Takumi, Please Read & Review
1. On the Right Track Part 1

Here are some updates for those who have read this before.

I've edited the first chapter and, taking the advice of a reviewer, I broke it down a little more. There will now be around five parts for each chapter. This might help me too as I don't have to type as much this way in order to update, therefore, between this fanfic, LIGHT and MIT, I should be able to continue stories.

There have been name changes for my OCs.

Yin – **Lin**  
Haroke – **Haruki**  
Marina – **Mari**  
Micheal – **Jason**  
Gordo – **Gordi**

Apart from Micheal/Jason's name, they have little changes. One name I wanted to change was Yin's, as there will be future events in this or another fanfic that may cause confusion. That's right, there's a small chance that there could be a sequel if I can get this fanfic done first.

I hope you guys like the changes/can put up with them.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Digimon Franchise. If I did, Takumi would be as canon as Kataang and the flippin' flashbacks of Lost.

Chapter 1: On the Right Track

Part 1: Goodbyes

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"Goodbye, Takuya Kanbara, Warrior of Flame. You can expect your friends joining you soon…"

_That was the last thing I heard. I couldn't feel anymore, couldn't see or hear. I felt like I was dead. But I felt that I wasn't at the same time. I couldn't believe I let them all down. _

_We had returned to the Digital World to stop it from being taken over. We managed to take down a couple of threats, but there was one we just couldn't beat. And me, being my stubborn self, tried to fight her on my own. I wasn't letting her do anything to my friends anytime soon._

_I didn't know how long I had been like this. Minutes, hours, days, months, years… wherever I was had no sense of time. I was completely alone._

_Until I heard someone's voice._

_"You can't give up… not now… your friends need you… wake up…"_

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_Four years ago..._

The city of Shibuya was a busy place today. Everywhere you went, there were people. Whether they were walking along the sidewalk, eating in restaurants or simply shopping, there were people. It was what made Zoe feel better now.

The blonde-haired girl had spent who-knows-how-long in a place known as the Digital World. To finally be among humans in her own world felt good. She still felt a slight pain in her heart from leaving dear friends behind in the Digital World, but she always repeated the same thing in her head: We'll see them again.

"Well, I guess it's really over then," Zoe said, as she and her five friends stood outside of the hospital. They were special to her. After all, they were the first real friends she ever had. Which made it feel worse to know what was going to happen before this day ended.

Koichi had now recovered from what had happened, with both his coma-like state and his slavery to Darkness. It had seemed as though he were someone different from the boy she had first met, in a good way.

But just when everything was perfect again, it was time for them all to go their separate ways. It was hard for Zoe. She had made such wonderful friends, but they all lived in different places, with her home being the furthest away.

The plan was as scheduled: Zoe was off to catch the earliest train back home, J.P. was going with Tommy on another at the same time to make sure the youngest got home safely, then he would take one back home himself, and the last one would be taking Takuya, Koji and Koichi back home, since their homes were all closer to each other. Zoe thought they were lucky.

"Yep! Great to be back home and all, but I'm sure gonna miss the Digital World," Takuya said, his hands behind his head as he up at the sky. Same old Takuya. Zoe smiled knowing what he would miss most, even though he wouldn't say it. He would miss being a Digimon and kicking butt. All of them would.

"I know what I'm gonna miss! Kumamon, Korikakkumon, Bokomon, Neemon, Patamon…" Tommy spoke, beginning to list almost everything in the Digital World as the rest of them continued the conversation. J.P. was the one to speak next, with Tommy's voice in the background.

"I'll miss everything and everyone from what happened, but... I'm gonna miss **Zoe** most of all!" J.P. said, as he turned to blonde girl with a love-struck expression. Zoe just sighed, rolling her eyes. One thing was for sure, J.P. certainly hadn't changed. Then again, she was wondering why he hadn't eaten anything from his endless supply of chocolate lately.

"Well, we'd better say our goodbyes and get going if we wanna catch our trains on time." Zoe looked at Koji, seeing that he was checking the time on his cell phone. Zoe reached into her pocket and pulled out her own phone. Looking at it, she recalled what it had looked like before. It hadn't even been a phone back there. It had been a device known as a D-Tector.

"Aww, already? Can't we wait just a little longer?" Tommy moaned, stopping right in the middle of his list of things he was going to miss. His arms hung at his sides and his face had fallen. One look and Zoe felt the same as him. She didn't want to say goodbye. None of them wanted to. But they didn't have a choice.

"Cheer up, Tommy, it's not like we'll never see each other again," she said, bending down to Tommy's height.

"She's right. Phone calls, e-mails, texts, visits, you name it. We'll be sure to stay the team that we are." Koichi placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to keep a bright smile on his face. It didn't last long.

"Tommy, we have to get going. We told your parents we'd get you home before dark, and you don't want them to worry, do you?" J.P. asked, looking at the time on his own phone. Tommy looked up at the eldest of the team, then hung his head and nodded in defeat. After a few sad goodbyes were exchanged, the group spilt up and went their separate ways, off to catch their trains back home.

A little while later, Takuya, Zoe and the twins had arrived at their station, and they found getting their tickets would be easier than they thought. The station was pretty much empty, with only a few people passing by as they went to their trains or headed for the exit. It was like a ghost town. This station was much different from the one Zoe had been in before.

"Three tickets," Zoe overhead Koji mutter by the ticket machine, while she sat on the seats nearby with Takuya and Koichi. She looked down at her feet, her hands in her lap as she thought about everything that had happened.

She had been saving another world from evil and had been away from Earth for a long, long time. But now that she was back, she couldn't help but wonder if it was some weird dream. When they had all returned, time had barely passed. Months had suddenly become minutes. It all made sense to Zoe, and yet it filled her mind with confusion as well. Maybe it was just a time difference between the worlds? But if that was the case…

"What do you think's happened in the Digital World since we left?" Takuya's voice made Zoe look up from her feet to his face, seeing him with his hands behind his head as he looked at the ceiling. She waited a couple of seconds, but before she could say anything, Koichi spoke.

"No idea. It's been three days since we were last there. Maybe it's been years over there." Zoe let out a sigh and looked at her feet again, a feeling of guilt falling over her.

"What if it's been decades? …You don't think we should have stayed there, do you?" she suddenly asked out of the blue. She soon felt the surprised looks of the two boys upon her. The truth was she was just as surprised as they were. She had no idea were that question had come from. And she was even more surprised that she had said it aloud.

"Zoe, you're not serious, are you?" Zoe looked back up and saw Koji standing in front of her. Instead of a reply, she looked back down at her feet again. He must have overheard their conversation, and despite him keeping his cool, Zoe knew he was at least a little surprised like the other two boys.

"I don't know… maybe… but what if it has been a long time to them? What if something happened? And what about all of our friends there?" she asked, these being only a few of the questions buzzing inside her mind. There was more silence, with the only voice being that of the announcements for train departures and arrivals.

"…She's right. What if Bokomon and Neemon and everyone else are old and wrinkled now? Or…" Takuya trailed off from his sentence after he broke the silence upon the four. Zoe understood why. It would have been too horrible to think that none of their friends even existed anymore…

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

While Koji and Koichi began to head for their platform, Takuya stayed with Zoe as she was getting her ticket. His train wasn't even in the station yet, so he had enough time to stay around a little, Zoe guessed. In other words, he was used to being late for things.

"Well that's just **perfect**," Zoe muttered to herself as she looked through her purse, a frown on her face as she looked at the amount of money she had. She had a little, but she didn't have enough.

"You have enough?" Takuya asked from next to her, and Zoe just shot him an annoyed glare. He had asked such an obvious question, and Zoe could just feel her blood boil at his stubbornness. Well, at least some things hadn't changed.

"Of course I don't have enough, since I still don't have a ticket!" she growled. She was just one coin short for a ticket. Takuya's response wasn't what she expected. There wasn't a hurt/scared look, no comeback, no argument waiting to happen. All he did was laugh. It wasn't a huge laugh, just a quick quiet one.

"And what are you laughing at, Kanbara?" Zoe snapped, her patience wearing thin. Takuya just shook his head and dug a hand into one of his pockets, giving her a sheepish smile.

"It's nothing. Here," he said, taking Zoe's hand with one of his own. He pulled his other hand out from his pocket and dropped something into Zoe's palm. She looked at her hand, seeing that he had given her an extra coin, giving her enough for the ticket. She looked back up at the boy with a suspicious look.

"I thought you said you were broke?" Takuya didn't answer right away. He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head with one of his hands instead.

"Yeah, I am. I just found that on the ground on the way here. You know that saying, 'Find a penny, pick it up…' Uh… something else after that, then, 'good luck!' I guess this is where the lucky part comes in!" he answered, his voice shaking when he found he couldn't remember most of the saying. Zoe could only roll her eyes. Still, he was right. This **was** lucky.

"Thanks Takuya," she said with a smile, turning back to the machine and placing her money into the coin slot. As she waited for the ticket to come out, an announcement came from the speakers nearby.

"_Train 17 is now arriving. Passengers please be ready to board."_

"Hey, isn't that your train?" Zoe asked, taking her ticket once it came out. She looked at Takuya, half-expecting him to make a hasty goodbye and run for the platform. But instead, she saw him look down at his feet. He looked sad, and Zoe felt that she already knew the reason.

_More goodbyes._

"Well… I guess this is it." Zoe looked down at her own feet when Takuya finally spoke, or muttered, depending on how you heard it.

"Yeah… I guess it is," she sighed, slipping her purse back into the pocket of her skirt. She took a look up at the board displaying the times of when trains came and went. She saw her train's number, 23, and looked at the time. It would still be a while before it came. She'd be waiting for it by herself.

"You know what, Zoe? I think we'll go back there someday," Takuya said, taking a couple of steps forward. He stopped and turned around to look at her.

"What about you? Think we'll go back?" Zoe hesitated to answer.

Sure, she was glad to be home again. Yet at the same time, she missed being in the Digital World. Going back would make her happy, but at the same time, she'd feel sad to leave her home behind again. It all felt like some kind of dilemma. But if she had the chance, would she go back there? Did she believe there was a chance of going back?

"…Yeah, I think we will," she finally answered, looking up to smile at Takuya. But instead, her face met something other then Takuya's gaze. Takuya's hand was about an inch from her nose, and all his fingers were in a fist except for his little one. Zoe looked at Takuya's face to see a big grin.

"Then it's settled. Someday, we all go back to DigiWorld. Promise?" he asked. Zoe looked at his hand again, letting out a giggle. She had never thought that Takuya was the type to make promises with pinky-swears.

"Promise." She lifted up her own pinky finger and wrapped it around his. Takuya's grin just seemed to get bigger.

"Great! We'll all go toge-" he began to say, but Zoe cut him off. She had stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close into a gentle hug.

"-ther," Takuya finished. Zoe felt him tense up and freeze from her unexpected action. She didn't blame him. He was probably as confused as ever. She felt the same way as she felt her cheeks heat up. She didn't know why she had even hugged him. She just did it like it was some kind of reflex or something.

"_Last call for Train 17."_

"Aw, man, I'm late again!" Takuya moaned, prying himself out of Zoe's grip. It was easy considering she immediately let go of him. She watched as Takuya ran towards the stairs to his platform, feeling that guilty and sad feeling again. It was another hard goodbye. Sighing, Zoe turned to leave for her platform, not really minding that she would have to wait for about an hour.

"Hey, Zoe?" When she heard Takuya's voice echoing from behind her, the blonde girl turned around and looked at him, seeing that the goggle-head had stopped halfway up the stairs. She could see his slightly red face from where she was, but he had a sad look on his face despite this.

"Yeah?" Zoe asked. Takuya waited for a couple of seconds, before he shook his head and looked at her again.

"Uh, it's nothing. See ya," he said quickly, his face becoming somewhat redder. Zoe cursed her own cheeks as she felt heat rise up again.

After his hasty goodbye, Takuya quickly turned around and ran back up the stairs, leaving Zoe alone within the station. It really did feel like a ghost town now. Since no-one was here anymore. Everyone had left.

"…Goodbye…"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Why does… my destiny have to… involve running… after trains?" Takuya panted to himself, sitting on the floor of the train, his back against the door after having just run through them.

He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing that no-one but Koji, Koichi and he himself were on the train. Speaking of the twins, they were sitting in the seats next to the door, and Koji, the younger twin, was looking at Takuya, one eyebrow higher than the other. Takuya already knew what he would say, but Koji was already saying it before he could groan a 'Not now'.

"So, Zoe hug you or something?" Wait a minute… that wasn't what Takuya wasn't expecting to hear. He was caught off guard. Immediately, Takuya let out a 'Bwaahh!' and got up on his feet, his arms straight at his sides, his face blushing madly.

"N-No, w-what makes you say that?" he stuttered, hoping the Warrior of Light wouldn't detect his lie. He did.

"Well, for starters, you were blushing a little less a moment ago, and since you face is now a deeper shade of red, you just proved I'm right," Koji explained in a dull tone, looking out of the window. Takuya gave a glare, his hands now in tight fists. Since when was he some kind of mind reader? And why was he suddenly interested in other peoples' business?

"Th-That doesn't prove anything!" he protested, mentally begging his face to change back to its normal colour.

"I don't exactly hear you denying it," Koji muttered. The goggle-headed boy let out a growl of anger (along with confusion and embarrassment). The fight that would have happened never came, however, as Koichi decided at this moment to intervene.

"C'mon, you guys, enough! Shouldn't we try to get back to our homes in one piece instead of with black eyes?" Neither Takuya nor Koichi bothered to say anything afterwards. All Takuya did was let out a sigh and head for the seat opposite of the twins.

"Fine, whatever, but he started it," the Warrior of Flame grumbled, sitting in the seat with his arms crossed. Along came the next potential-fight-starting comment.

"Takuya, quit acting like a child." Takuya readied himself to send a comment straight back at Koji, but a glare from Koichi prevented him from leaving his seat. He grumbled to himself for the time being. Things such as 'Big jerk' and 'What did I ever do to him?' were audible, but nothing more was said among the three.

The sky soon turned from blue to shades of orange, the sun slowly setting behind the horizon. Takuya had fallen asleep on his seat, snoring away through his nap. Koji had his eyes closed and his arms folded, making it hard to tell is he were awake of asleep. It seemed impossible to drift off with Takuya's snoring.

Koichi gazed through the glass, his chin resting in his hand. The buildings outside were nothing more than a grey blur as the train moved along its tracks. The last time he was on a train, it was while he was following his twin. It brought back memories before the Digital World.

He couldn't wait to see his mother again. He couldn't wait to introduce her to Koji. There were a lot of things he looked forward to. After all, he found his long lost brother. He had made new friends. He had so many memories to look back on. But why did he still feel empty?

"…Hey, Koichi?" Koichi turned his head away from the window and looked at his brother. Looked like he really was awake.

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking." Koji looked up at the ceiling. "What do you think it would have been like if any kids had the spirits of the other four Warriors? You know, if they hadn't been on Cherubimon's side when we got those phone calls?"

Koichi looked back out of the window, thinking over what his brother had just said.

"I don't know. Maybe things would have been easier. Maybe we wouldn't have even gotten those messages," Koichi thought aloud, watching as the scenery passed in a blur. There was silence, until Koji started talking again.

"I'm starting to think it'll happen again." Koichi turned his attention away from the window once again.

"What will happen again?" he asked, confused at his brother's words. The twin looked Koichi in the eye, and Koichi immediately sensed an air of seriousness around him.

"That the Digital World will be in danger again. And that they'll need the Legendary Warriors to help." Koji looked back up at the ceiling. Koichi paused, and thought over what Koji had said.

"…All of them?"

"…All of them." Koichi let out a sigh and looked out of the window once again.

"Maybe you're right, Koji. Maybe you're right…"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Tommy looked down at the sidewalk, even more glum than he had been on the train. He gently kicked a stone along as he made his way towards home, the setting sun casting a long shadow of himself against the fence.

Don't get him wrong. He'd be happy to see his parents. His big brother too. It had been such a long time in the Digital World. But still…

"C'mon, cheer up, kiddo!" Tommy felt the older boy nudge him in the arm to get his attention. He looked up at the Warrior of Thunder, only to look back down at his feet again.

"Don't give me that, Tommy! You're going home! That's great, right?"

"…"

"…Don't you want to see your family again?" Tommy stopped dead in his tracks when J.P. finished his sentence, his hands now fists, the rim of his hat hiding his eyes. J.P. stopped a couple of steps ahead of him. Tommy could feel the older boy's gaze.

"Of course I do. I haven't seen my parents or my big brother for so long. But…" Tommy stopped in mid-sentence. A 'Hm?' from J.P. made Tommy looked up at him, his blue eyes already filling with tears.

"But I'm gonna miss you guys! What if we never see each other again? And what about Bokomon and Neemon and everyone back in DigiWorld? What if we never see **them** again?" Tommy's shoulders began to shake along with his voice. A couple of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Tommy, I thought you got over the crying thing back there. Relax, everything will be okay, just don't start with the waterworks!" J.P. was practically begging the child. Tommy sniffed and looked at the sidewalk again. He raised a hand and brushed away the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffing a couple more times as he did so.

"Sorry, J.P.. Aren't you worried about everyone as well?" he asked, looking back up. The red-haired boy didn't answer right away, and by the surprised look on his face, he was taken aback. There was a pause. J.P. let out a sigh and turned back towards their destination. Now he was the one to look down at the sidewalk.

"Of course I am, Tommy. When we got back here, and I realised how long it had been to everyone and everything here, I got scared. Scared that maybe too much time had passed in DigiWorld and that something bad had happened since we left." Tommy began to follow him again as he continued.

"What scares and worries me the most is whether or not what I'm afraid of turns out to be the truth." J.P. spoke his answer as he walked at a slightly slow pace. Tommy looked at him for a moment. He looked back down and nudged the small pebble by his feet.

"…It's not fair," he mumbled. Without another word, Tommy began to walk back down the sidewalk again, nudging the pebble as he went along. The fast footsteps from J.P. soon followed him until he caught up.

"What's not fair, Tommy?" he asked. Another pause fell between the two as he waited for the young boy's reply. This time, Tommy didn't look up. He just kept guiding the pebble in front of him, his hands now in his pockets.

"We saved the Digital World, but we might not even see it again. That's what's not fair," Tommy mumbled, forcing back the tears this time. Something inside of him said that it wasn't the time to cry.

"That's not true, Tommy! We'll see it again!" J.P.'s attempt at cheering the young boy up wasn't working. He was still looking at the sidewalk, kicking a pebble along. The red-head sighed. For the rest of the time that they walked in silence, one thing kept ringing in Tommy's mind.

"…It's not fair…"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Bokomon, are we there yet?"

"No."

"Bokomon, are we there now?"

"No."

"Bokomon, are we-"

"For heaven's sake, NO! We ARE NOT there yet, Neemon! Honestly, can't you bother someone else? Here, bother this rock!"

"Can I call it Bob?"

"Oh, forget it!"

The white Digimon let out a sigh as he put his precious book back into the safety of his pink waistband. Anymore of his rabbit-like friend's annoying questions and he would lose it. And he was the serious, keep-it-together one. To think, it had been four long years since he had been able to keep his sanity. Now he was beginning to question just how much sanity he had left.

Four years ago, he had been able to keep himself from going insane. This was thanks to six human children who had saved the Digital World. Not only had they defeated the evil, they had been able to help Bokomon put up with Neemon's… Neemon-ness.

But now, they were gone. They had left the Digital World to return to their own world, where time moved slower. Much, much, much slower.

It used to be that the Digital World's time moved much faster than the Human World's. But something changed the difference in the time zones, which is what Bokomon and Neemon were supposed to investigate. Something had caused the Digital World's time to slow down to that of the Human World's time with each day. And Angemon, who used to be Patamon not so long ago, sent his 'Papamom' and 'Uncle Neemon' to see what the trouble could be.

They had been sent to the Celestial Ruins, a place once sacred to Digimon and a shrine to those such as Lucemon. The ruins had been destroyed during a battle in the time that Lucemon turned to the side of evil, and the writing carved into the walls was a language long forgotten. Only Bokomon would be able to translate, as he had studied the ancient words of the Digital World.

Right now, the two Digimon were walking through the tunnel of the ancient ruins, the stone walls cracked and covered in dust but perfectly stable, far from crumbling apart. The walls had many things carved into them. Pictures, writing, languages of all, prophecies for the future and tales from the past. It was like a library of stone, filled with knowledge and history.

But now was not the time to stop and admire this place. Now was the time to translate a prophecy, one that might shed some light on the situation.

"Bokomon, are we there now?"

"Finally I can say it, YES, we are! And thank goodness for that!" Bokomon let out an exhausted sigh. Neemon was his friend, a very annoying one at that, but sometimes Bokomon just felt like leaving him in a pit of angry Pagumon.

Bokomon pulled his book out from his waistband and walked out of the tunnel. They were now in the room they had been searching for.

It was huge. That's the first word that would be used to describe it. Huge. Light poured in from a gaping hole in the ceiling, the only opening in here. The walls were built with old but strong stones and the many carvings in them were clear and perfectly preserved, despite being many centuries old. The room itself looked like a throne room, with a stone chair atop a platform on the opposite side of the room.

What was in the very centre of the room was what caught Bokomon's attention the most. It was a big, stone, table-like object, with many carvings of an ancient language decorating it. It seemed to be some form of pedestal or stand.

Bokomon rushed up to the object, his book at the ready. Neemon followed him, shouting a 'Hey, wait up!' as he went.

"Neemon, do you realise what this stone is?" Bokomon asked his friend, opening his book. His eyes darted from one set of carvings to the other. Why he was even asking, he didn't know, since he already knew Neemon's answer.

"Um, a big table?" Bokomon reached for the waistband of Neemon's red pants, pulled it away and released it, letting it snap. Neemon's 'OW!' of pain pretty much summed things up if anyone questioned Bokomon's action.

"No, you idiot! It's what we've been looking for!" The Keeper of the Book scanned the pages of the very book he had sworn to keep, looking back up at the carvings every now and then. Yes, he could translate this writing, but since it was so lost and forgotten, it would still take a while to actually get anything.

"This writing… could it be?... Oh my, it **is**!"

"What is it? Is it Burgermon's secret burger recipe? Oh, I want a burger with fries and extra ketchup, please!" Neemon babbled, leaning over Bokomon's shoulder. He once again received a snap against his side.

"OW!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Neemon! This writing is the prophecy we've been looking for! It was written by this ancient Digimon!" Bokomon explained, flipping the pages of his book all the way to the beginning. The first page was a picture. More like a silhouette. Neemon stared at the page with his closed-looking eyes.

"I can't see anything, Bokomon, there's a black stain on it!"

_SNAP!_

"Owee!"

"The 'black stain' IS the Digimon! Don't you remember anything from Digi-school?" Bokomon lectured.

"They once worked to protect the Digital World in balance with Lucemon while he was good! But then it is said that when Lucemon became hungry for power, this ancient Digimon was sealed away forever, never to be seen again!"

Bokomon remembered what their teacher had said back then. The ancient Digimon had once been wise and powerful, said to be a sign of great hope. If only they had been strong enough to stop Lucemon.

"But I thought we were learning about the prophecy-thingy," Neemon moaned, rubbing his side from where the waistband of his pants had stung him. Bokomon felt like snapping them a forth time, but decided not to bother.

"I'm getting back to that. Now, let's see…"

For the long while after that, Bokomon read two different things in order to get answers: The writing in his book and the carvings on the stone. All the while he kept mumbling to himself, ignoring the snoring of Neemon behind him.

After walking all the way through the ruins, risking his sanity and translating the forgotten form of Digi-language, Bokomon had results. He had found many words and found the order to put them in. He had the prophecy. Or part of it.

_When ten of great power unite as one,  
The Digital World will become undone,  
The Darkest Seven shall awake and arise,  
And their reign shall sever the peaceful ties,_

_Shadows will attempt to drown all Light,  
Darkness's power will start to gain height,  
The Ten must- an- engthe- nd-  
For only- en- ll th- -at the –il fro- _

That was all there was. The carvings were too damaged to translate further. But what Bokomon had read was enough to make shivers go up and down his spine.

The Darkest Seven. The Legendary Warriors had been able to seal the all away, just as Lucemon had done to an ally before. But if they were to come back…

"Neemon, wake up!" Bokomon yelled, picking up one of the rocks on the floor and throwing it at his friend in an attempt to wake him up. And what a successful attempt it was, since Neemon sat up screaming 'OWEE!'. Bokomon stuffed the book back into his waistband and ran over to Neemon. He grabbed one of his ears and dragged the bunny Digimon towards the exit of the room.

"I know you're just going to ask a pointless question but don't even bother! We must go to Seraphimon's Castle and tell Angemon of what we found right away!"

"And what have we found?"

_SNAP!_

"OW!"

"No time to explain, we just have to go! NOW!"

"Can I bring Bob?"

_SNAP!_

"OWEE!"

Bokomon tried to think clearly. Once he told Angemon what he had found, he knew what would happen next.

_They have to come back. We need them more than anything right now._

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Part 2 coming soon. Also, when all the parts for the first chapter are up, I'll add the references in the notes section.


	2. On the Right Track Part 2

Part 2 is here! That's right, I'm 'reviving' this. Oh, and a note, some changes have been made so you may want to view the first chapter if you have read this before.

Disclaimer: You've got to be kidding me.

Chapter One: On the Right Track

Part Two: Calling

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Four years had passed in the Human World since the mysterious events in Shibuya, Japan happened.

Some kids had claimed to receive calls to go to certain stations for no reason at all. People had seen odd messages appear on the screens of various things, such as television sets, cell phones and even on those TV-billboard things on the sides of buildings.

The news of what had happened was buzzing all over the place at the time, but police and investigators claim it to be nothing but false alarms or technical problems.

It hadn't just been in Japan, though. Some kids from around the world had received odd messages and calls too. A few witnesses had seen odd messages on the screens of electronic devices like in Shibuya. But once again, it was 'confirmed' to be nothing. When in truth, it was something.

It had been four years since the messages were first sent. And now they were sent again.

They went all over the world searching for something or someone. Phones went off to inform their owners of new messages from an unknown sender.

A message was sent to a teenager on the way home from soccer practise.

A message was sent to a teen practising his kendo.

One was sent to a boy watching his twin practise.

A message went to a teenage girl who had just come home with the groceries.

Another went to a teenager who was showing some of his friends some new magic tricks.

The same was sent to a young boy just leaving the park of his town.

This message went simultaneously to kids of all ages. And I'm sure you know what that means.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_**4:07pm  
Tokyo, Japan**_

"No way, Haruki! I'm not taking that poison and you can't make me!" a twelve-year-old girl yelled, burying her face into the pillow of her living room sofa. She had a blanket over her bottom half, she was still in her PJs and she had an older brother sitting on top of her with a bottle of medicine in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"For the last time, it's not poison, Sakura! We've gone through this a hundred times already!" Haruki sighed, his dark reddish-brown hair in a mess from wrestling his sibling so that she wouldn't be able to run away. His hazel eyes were tired from chasing his sister all over the apartment.

"Then you take it! I'm lucky I can still taste after having that stuff! It nearly burned my tongue!" spoke Sakura's muffled voice from the other side of the pillow, her hands clutching it tightly to her face in an effort to escape the spoonful of disgusting but helpful liquid. Haruki gave his sister an annoyed glare, taking a different approach. 'Plan B', as it were.

"By the way, your **boyfriend** called while you were taking your nap." Now, Haruki knew what his sister's reaction would be, therefore he was prepared. Falling for the taunt, Sakura snatched the pillow off of her head, revealing her short hair and her angry eyes, both similar in colour to her brother's.

"He is NOT my-"

Phase 3: Haruki quickly shoved a spoonful of medicine into the girl's mouth, whipped it out and slapped a hand over Sakura's mouth to make sure she wouldn't spit it back out. Her face was something he'd laugh about later. Words couldn't describe it.

"Swallow. The sooner you do it, the sooner you stop tasting it." Sakura, realising the mean trick her brother had pulled, glared at him. He had been putting up with it since she was born. Sakura admitted defeat and gulped down the stomach-wrenching fluid, her face twisting in disgust.

"Haruki… you'll pay for that," Sakura coughed, grabbing her glass of water and gulping it down. Haruki rolled his eyes as he got off of his sister.

"Well don't expect me to pay in cash or credit." He walked across the small living room of the apartment towards the bathroom. Opening the door, he took another look at his sister. She was rubbing her tongue with the back of her hand, her eyes crossed. Haruki chuckled quietly as he went in the bathroom. Before letting the door close, he stopped it with his foot and poked his head around it, grinning.

"By the way, about your boyfriend, he really did call!" Quick as a flash, Haruki snatched his head back and allowed the door to close, hearing a sofa cushion thud against the other side of the door.

"He's NOT my boyfriend!"

"Yeah right!" Haruki blocked out the rest of Sakura's yelling as he opened the medicine cabinet and put away the fever medicine. He'd wash up the spoon after dinner, when it was his turn to do the dishes. So, all that was left for the day was to play video games with Sakura once she had calmed down, and wait for their parents to come home late from work again.

_When you walk away,  
You don't hear me say  
Please, oh baby, don't go-_

Haruki's attention fell on his phone's ringing. Who would be calling him? Haruki dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the ringing device, flipping his phone open to see who was calling. Instead of saying the caller or the number, it showed something different:

_Your destiny awaits, Haruki Kiyoko. Do you wish to accept it?_

_Yes or No_

"…Destiny?" Haruki mumbled to himself. Despite knowing it was some sort of prank, he couldn't help but wonder. Had he received this message before?

"Haruki, Sakura, I'm home!" Haruki nearly slipped up on the bathroom floor. This was a surprise. Their mom was home early. That was like Sakura giving up video games. Near impossible. Before even stepping out of the bathroom to see his mom, Haroke looked at the phone again.

_Your destiny awaits, Haruki Kiyoko. Do you wish to accept it?_

_Yes or No_

"Mom, I'm going to the store," Haruki called, not knowing where his mother was in the apartment. Just before he could reach the door, Mrs. Kiyoko stepped out of the kitchen.

"What, no hello?" she asked, hanging her coat up on its hook. She looked at her spiky-haired son with a questioning look. "What do you need from the store?"

"A couple of groceries. I forgot to get them earlier." Mrs. Kiyoko folded her arms and frowned, thinking it over.

"…Alright, but I want you back before curfew." With a nod, Haruki slipped into his shoes and grabbed his jacket. As he walked out of the door, he overheard Sakura and their mother talking.

"Hey Mom! I got this weird message on my phone!"

"Is it from someone you know?"

"Nope. It's asking me something and destiny or whatever."

"Let me see that… Say no. It's probably just prank mail."

"What kind of prank is this?"

"Doesn't matter. People do this all the time when they have nothing better to do."

Haruki closed the door and looked at the message on his phone.

_Go to nearest train station and take the elevator on the ground floor._

Why did he choose yes?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_**8:07am  
Paris, France**_

Lin finished tying the second half of her hair into a neat plait and looked in the mirror to admire her work. Looking herself up and down, she went through everything in her mind. Hair: Tidy and in place. Cloths: Not a crease in sight. Bag: Packed and ready to go.

"Honey! Breakfast's ready!" Mrs. Orimoto called from downstairs. Moments later, Lin came down the stairs at a quick pace.

"No time, Mom! There's a meeting at school!"

"On a Saturday?" her mother asked as she sat down at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in her hand. Lin picked up her shoes next to the back door.

"Yep! We're talking about painting a mural on that blank wall near the front of the building," she explained. Mrs. Orimoto raised a thin red eyebrow.

"You can't do that during school hours?"

"Well it's not like I have anything better to do on the weekend!" Shoes on, Lin fast-walked into the hallway.

"I'm not letting you leave without having something to eat, young lady." Lin marched back in and grabbed a slice of buttered toast from the table.

"No milk?"

"Mom!"

"Fine, go." Munching on her small breakfast, Lin left the kitchen and headed out the front door. She didn't get too far.

_B, I, N G O  
B, I, N G O  
B, I, N G O  
And Bingo was his name-o_

There was her ringtone. Lin pulled out her little pink phone and pushed the answer button.

"Hello?" she said as soon as she put the phone to her ear.

"_Just making sure."_

"MOM!"

"_Alright, alright, go!"_

"Merci!" Lin slid the phone back into its pocket in her bag and shut the door behind her. She walked down the cobblestone path leading away from the cottage, but barely got to the gate when her phone rang once more.

_B, I, N G O  
And Bingo was his name-o_

Lin pulled the phone out once more and frowned, expecting it to say that the caller was her mother once again. It didn't.

_Your destiny awaits, Meilin Orimoto. Do you wish to accept it?_

_Yes or No_

"That's weird," she mumbled, reading over the message again. "It doesn't say who sent it." It wasn't a joke from any of her friends, she knew that for sure. Her friends were French while this message was in Japanese. The only other person she knew to send this was her cousin, but why would she send something like this?

"…None of this nonsense. I've got a meeting." Lin was ready to push 'No', when her phone rang again. Another message popped up on the screen.

_Lin_

_Meeting cancelled for today._

_Anna_

"Not anymore," she groaned, deleting her friend's French message. Why her?

"Lin? Sweetie, I thought you said you were in a hurry?" Lin turned around to see her mother leaning out of the window.

"…Yeah, Mom, I'm just going." Nodding, Mrs. Orimoto pulled herself back into the cottage. Lin looked at the phone again and sighed.

"May as well," she muttered, pressing 'Yes'. She had to know who sent this message one way or another.

_Go to the nearest train station in the city and take the elevator on the ground floor._

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_**7:07am  
London, England**_

_Watch out, 'cause here we come,  
It's been a while but, we're back in style  
So, get set to have some fun  
We'll bring you action, and satisfaction,_

_We're the Chipmunks,  
C-H-I-P-M-U-N-K,  
We're the Chipmunks,  
Guaranteed to brighten your day-_

Mari finally picked up her phone after feeling around for it on her bedside table. She pushed the phone to her ear and mumbled into it.

"Uuuuh… Mari Jones speaking… barely… whaddya want?"

"_Your destiny awaits, Marigold Jones."_

"Can it wait for another three hours?" Mari growled with half of her face still buried in her pillow. She expected to hear her brothers stifling their laughs and giggles on the other end of the phone. Then she realised what the person on the other end had just said. She lifted her head from the pillow and looked at her phone. She squinted her eyes to adjust to the light.

_Your destiny awaits, Marigold Jones. Do you wish to accept it?_

_Yes or No_

"…If it means waking up this early, no," Mari muttered at the phone, ready to press 'No'. Too bad her brothers messed up her action.

"ATTAAAACK!" Before she knew it, the back of Mari's head was soon covered with multicoloured silly string. If she wasn't fully awake before, she was now. Mari snapped her head around and shot a glare over to her brothers.

They may have the same blue eyes, they may have had the same (natural) hair colour and they may have the same last name. But it was almost impossible to have them in the same house. Here's the reason.

"JOE! ALAN! You have ten seconds before I BREAK YOUR ARMS!" Mari yelled, slamming her mobile back onto the bedside table. The eleven and eight year-olds ceased their giggles and raced out of the teen's bedroom, dropping their cans as they went. Turning her attention back to her mobile, Mari gritted her teeth.

"Why those little… they made me… Oh, I'll kill them later." Crawling out of her bed, Mari left her phone on the bedside table while she went to get changed. She didn't have anything better to do with her morning anyway. And she may as well see what kind of prank this was.

_Go to nearest train station and take the elevator on the ground floor._

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_**12:07am  
Salt Lake City, America**_

Gordi's face was buried in his pillow, undisturbed since a couple of hours ago. He wanted to just sleep in for the weekend. After all, no school, no waking up early, no worries. Then he slowly started drifting back to consciousness when he heard a song coming from somewhere in the room.

_I tried so hard and got so far,  
But in the end, it doesn't even matter,  
I had to fall to lose it all,  
But in the end, it doesn't even-_

It was the ringtone for his brother's cell phone. Sleep, however, seemed to turn his brain to mush. He didn't even question why his brother's phone would be ringing in the middle of the night. He just wanted sleep.

Burying his face deeper into his pillow, Gordi tried to focus on sleep again. Then another song made him drift back to consciousness before he was even out of it.

_Alright everybody now here we go,  
It's a brand new version of the dosido,  
Just stomp your feet and clap your hands,  
Come on everybody, it's the hamster dance-_

Lazily, Gordi's hand moved under his pillow and pulled out his cell phone. Who would be calling him at a time like this?

Eyes still half closed, Gordi tried to read what had popped up on the screen, curious about who was calling. No-one was actually **calling** him. There was a message on the screen instead.

_Your destiny awaits, Gordon Anderson. Do you wish to accept it?_

_Yes or No_

Gordi lazily blinked at the message, not really understanding what it meant. He was woken up in the middle of the night for that? A Yes or No question? That was it?

_Thud, thud, thud._

Gordi quickly buried his face back into his pillow, the phone in his hand as he heard footsteps in the room. There were two reasons for pretending to be asleep: If his brother knew he was awake, he'd get a grumpy 'Go back to sleep', which wasn't too bad, but he could still tell on Gordi. If it was his sister, he'd be in trouble. BIG trouble.

_Thud, thud, thud. CREEEEEEEEK. Click._

Gordi listened to the footsteps, the creek of the door opening, and then the click as it shut. Then there was silence. He could hear some more footsteps coming from the other side of the door, but they were growing distant. Taking a risk, Gordi lifted his head and looked around the dark bedroom, squinting his eyes to try and see.

He could see the outlines of some cloths on the floor, the desk on the other side of the room, and his brother's bed. There was just one thing missing. His brother.

"…Jay?" he whispered, looking around the room again to try and spot a hint that his brother was still in the room. Nothing. There were PJs left on the bed, the grey hoodie missing from the back of the desk chair, and the closet was left open. What, did Gordi's big brother decide to make a run for it? Get away from his brother and sister?

_Alright everybody now here we go,  
It's a brand new version of the dosido-_

"Alright, alright, I get it, you want an answer!" Gordi muttered, looking back at his phone again. His eyes read the message through a couple more times, as his mind pondered on what to do.

No would mean going back to sleep. Yes could mean something important. Also, his brother's cell phone had gone off as well. Maybe he got the same message, said 'Yes' and left? Two big decisions. Leave and follow his brother, or stay with his sister.

…_BEEP!_

_Go to the nearest train station and take the elevator on the ground floor._

Gordi kicked himself out of bed to get changed.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"_The late train to California will be departing in five minutes. All those taking the late train…"_

Gordi looked around the train station twenty minutes after receiving the odd message. Few people hung around, which wasn't strange considering the time. He looked at his cell phone again.

_Go to the nearest train station and take the elevator on the ground floor._

"Elevator, elevator, elevator… Jay?" Gordi saw the back of his brother's hoodie disappear behind a wall. So he was here for the message. Quickly, Gordi ran after Jason, skidding around a corner and charging on. Only to slam face-first into the closed doors of an elevator.

"…Ow… that hurt… a lot," he mumbled, sliding down to the floor.

_Ding!_

Gordi, rubbing his nose, looked at the second elevator as the doors opened. He scrambled to his feet and threw himself inside the empty box, slamming his face into one of the walls.

"This just isn't my day," Gordi groaned as the doors behind him closed.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lin had gained a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as soon as the elevator began to go down. That is, after it had began to go further down past the lowest floor of the station.

The frail girl had felt the elevator speed up since then, and for the next couple of minutes, her hands gripped the metal bar on the side of the box, her knuckles shifting colour to white. Her bag began to swing from its shoulder strap, and her braids were flapping about around her face. Lin had never been so scared before in her life.

_Ding!_

The elevator came to a sudden stop. It would have thrown Lin off balance if not for her death-grip on the bar. Her bag resumed its place hanging from its strap, and her braids flopped back down. All the girl could do was stare down at her feet, her eyes wide as she tried to come back to reality. She eventually did.

The doors next to her slid open. She looked up, pulling a few stray strands of hair from her face as she gazed at what was outside.

The hum of chatter came from a huge crowd of people of different ages. Some young, some in their teens, some around Lin's age, some looking a couple of years younger. There were no adults or really young children, just… kids.

Lin pulled herself together. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, before she took a step outside of the elevator. Only to began panicking again.

Up above her and the crowd was a giant, glass-like dome of sorts, and through it was a view of an endless navy area, with star-like objects floating around in it. Within the dome, blue and white screens of numbers and pictures floated near the ceiling, flickering every now and then.

Somewhere in between the ceiling and the floor, many platforms hovered in the air, a single rail attached to each of them. Each rail had a train waiting on it, each one different in colour.

At ground-level, things were keeping the futuristic look. The floor was made from a hard metal, white and spotless even after being walked on by muddy shoes and boots. Taking a look around, Lin saw that everyone seemed to be on some kind of round platform, with some more trains of different colours lined up. The holes in the walls of the dome were deep and endless, and the only 'ground' near them was the rail running into them.

_Alright, there's no point in avoiding the subject, Meilin, you are __**definitely**__ not in Paris anymore!_ Lin thought to herself, walking down the few steps to the main platform. _Wait, maybe I can get back before it's too late!_

_Ding!_

Lin turned around to take another look at the object that had gotten her here. She didn't get a long look. The doors slid shut in the blink of an eye and the elevator shot up towards the ceiling. Lin's eyes followed it, her stomach in knots.

_So much for that plan._

The elevator was shooting up in a clear tunnel of blue, its silhouette visible as it faded from sight. There were other similar tunnels in the centre of the platform, and many shapes of elevators were going up and down. Well, at least Lin knew how she ended up here. Too bad it made her stomach feel queasy. –Er.

_Ding-dong!_

Lin had jumped at the sound of the tone. She couldn't see any speakers or anything. It was as though the voice had come from thin air.

"_Attention all humans. Please select your Trailmon within the next five minutes. All will be leaving for the Digital World shortly."_

Now, if you heard this announcement while in a weird-looking station, what would your reaction be?

Lin's was confusion. It was a mutual feeling with many of the other kids here. For one thing, they had been addressed as 'humans'. Another thing, they had been told to 'select a Trailmon', something that confused Lin even more since she had no idea what a Trailmon was in the first place. And last but not least, the mention of a 'Digital World'. This was among the buzz of the crowd.

"Digital World? What's that?"

"Maybe it's some kind of video game?"

"What kind of game involves winding up on the Enterprise in the middle of space?"

"…Dude, seriously, too much Star Trek."

_What if I'm just dreaming?_ Lin, blocking out the chatter around her, decided to think up some explanation for what was going on. Of course, she'd come up with the most reasonable one she could think of.

_Yeah, that's it, this is all just a very, very, VERY weird and random dream. _

"…Hey, kid?"

_In a minute, I'll be awake in my room and I'll find out that I've just overslept and I'm late for my meeting. It's no biggy. _

"Kid? Yo, wake up!"

_Everything's fine, it's all okay…_

"HEY! ARE YOU LISTENIN' TO ME?!"

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Lin screamed, crashing down from her thoughts as she narrowly missed a fireball. It had blurred by, an inch from her face. If she had been sleeping before, that should have been more than enough to wake her up.

"Great, so you're not a zombie. Yippee for you." Lin's pale blue eyes darted around, trying to find where the voice had come from. She was also expecting someone with a flamethrower or another fire-starting object. Fire never came out of nowhere, right? Well, she never caught sight of anything, as she didn't see anyone talking to her or looking at her. (Which was very odd, considering her scream only a moment ago.)

"Yo, kid? Try lookin' down."

When Lin failed to see anyone around her height, she decided to take the voice's advice and looked down. Only to stumble back in shock. Standing in front of her was a purple, pointy-eared creature, wearing red gloves and a matching scarf. Whatever it was, it had an annoyed look on its face.

"Wh-wh-wh-who… w-w-w-what…" Lin couldn't even find the words as her mouth gaped open like a fish out of water. First, she gets an odd message. Then, she ends up down here. Then, there's this 'Digital World' thing. And now this?!

"Since you won't spit it out, I'll just answer yer questions now, aight?" the… thing spoke, when Lin seemed unable to do anything but breathe and look on with shock for now.

"First, the name's Impmon, second, I'm a Digimon, and just to throw in a third, you pick a train and shut up," Impmon continued, slowly walking around Lin in a circle as she seemed to be recovering. She kept an eye on this 'Digimon' as he called himself, turning in a circle on the spot. She didn't want to turn her back on him. Then it hit her.

"W-wait, what's a Digi-" she began to ask, but she was cut off as Impmon walked behind her and began to push her forward, her feet sliding along the floor as they went through the moving crowd of people.

"Digimon, short for Digital Monster, blah, blah, yadda, yadda an' all that stuff," he answered in a monotone voice, seeming to ignore the strange looks he got from passers by. Lin didn't stop her questions there, to, what seemed to be, his annoyance.

"But what about the trains?"

"You pick one, get in, wait for it to stop and get off. It's not rocket science. Oh, and if you don't get a message after that, you stay put," Impmon said, his answer quite to-the-point.

"And w-what about this Digital World?"

"You're full 'a questions, ain't ya? Why don't you tell me what **you** think it is, huh?" Lin didn't know what to make of his answer. Was it a trick question or something along those lines?

"Um… it's a world… that's digital?" She was nervous when she spoke. She seemed pretty worried about her answer. Hey, what if she said something wrong?

"Bingo, give the kid a prize!" Lin detected the sarcasm, but she was relieved that she got it right nonetheless… wait a minute. Seriously? All of these kids were being asked to go to a world… that was digital? But that was impossible! ...Was it?

"Well, kid, this is yer stop!" For the umpteenth time that day, Lin came back from her thoughts as Impmon pushed her forwards. She tripped, stumbled, regained her balance and looked back at Impmon.

"Just one more thing-"

"WHAT NOW?!" Lin flinched, a little afraid to ask. But she needed to know.

"Um, what did you mean by, 'if you don't get a message, stay put'?"

"You'll see, kid," Impmon sighed. Lin would have asked another question, but (lucky for Impmon) she didn't get the chance. The ground beneath her trembled. Before she knew it, the small square of floor she had been standing on began to float up into the air. With wide eyes, Lin clutched her bag and kept her head up, refusing to look down.

"Oh boy!" she squeaked to herself, not too pleased with the surprises she was getting today.

"See ya, kid, and good luck!" Impmon yelled as Lin floated upwards on the block. He let out an exhausted sigh and turned around.

"Now for the rest a' them. Why Gatomon gave me this crummy job, I'll never know," he muttered, as he spotted another of those called upon standing around and staring into space.

"Not another one. HEY! YOU! The one with the sunglasses, WAKE UP!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Haruki looked out through the window of the brown train, watching all of the kids down below the floating white platform. He could tell they all had mixed reactions about all of this. He had mixed feelings himself. The trip down here, the announcement, the block that got him up here… it was a lot to take in. But he had about… three minutes left for it all to soak in. So all he could down was sit and think for now.

"Wait, so where are you, exactly?" Haruki looked further down the carriage where another boy about his age was sitting. He had a mop of bluish-black hair, a red t-shirt over a green sweater and pale blue jeans. The boy was talking on the phone to someone.

"You're on Angler? …Worm. …No, I'll be fine. Besides, if we try to find each other now, we'll run out of time. …Yeah, I'll be fine. Seen anyone else yet? …Zoe's with you?"

Haruki looked back out of the window and spotted someone stepping onto the platform. More like inching her way on. He opened the window and leaned out to call the 11-year-old.

"Hey, you alright?" The girl looked around at him with a very nervous face. She shook her head.

"You might wanna get on before the train leaves, then." The girl squeaked and ran towards the door. Haruki just expected for her to hop in and sit down. She didn't get the chance though. The door slammed shut by itself and she jumped back.

"W-what now?" she asked him, clutching the strap of her bag. Haruki looked around to see if there was another way in for her. And remembered what he was leaning out of. He'd lecture himself about ignoring the obvious later.

"Quick, through here!" he said. The girl looked a little sceptical.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"You wanna get on or not?" The girl groaned and reluctantly went up to the window. She took her bag off and passed it to Haruki, who put it on the seat next to him.

_Ding-dong!_

"_All train will be leaving for the Digital World immediately. Humans please remain seated."_

"Get in, quick!" She nodded and gripped the bottom of the window, but lost it when the train slowly started to move. Without a second thought. Haruki leaned out and grabbed the girl's wrist. The train sped up and she started to run along the platform.

"Think you can pull yourself in?" he yelled over the noise. She shook her head. Then she screamed. The ground beneath her had disappeared, and she now hung with only Haruki keeping her from falling.

"Don't let go!" she screamed, her eyes clamped shut as she clung for dear life. Haruki, straining, pulled her up.

"Koji, I gotta go." Moments after hearing that, Haruki saw the other boy pop up next to him. "Need any help?"

"That would be nice right now!" The boy nodded and reached out.

"Try reaching for my hand!" he told the girl. She didn't even move, frozen with fear. The boy looked at Haruki. "Think you can bring her closer?"

"Sure!" With all the strength he had, he pulled the girl up closer to the window. The other boy grabbed one of her arms and together, they pulled her in through the window. Haruki placed her on the seat next to her bag. "You okay?"

"Yeah… I think so," she breathed, her nails digging into the seat. Haruki sighed with relief and looked at the other boy.

"Thanks for the help… uh…" Haruki rubbed the back of his head as her trailed off, not knowing the stranger. He smiled.

"Koichi."

"Koichi, right. I'm Haruki," he said with a nervous laugh. He looked back down at the girl as she seemed to be recovering from her near-death experience. "What about you? What's your name?"

"…Lin… Orimoto," she breathed, looking at the floor. The expression on her face was a sickly one at that. Haruki gave her a sympathetic look.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked again. Before she answered, Lin dug a hand into her bag and pulled out a paper bag. She bent over and put it to her mouth, throwing up. Haruki instinctively took a step back to give her some space. "Okay then…"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Here's part 2. I did a lot of editing for this part. Originally, it was Takuya's POV after Gordi's scene, but I felt that it was best to stick with the OCs' POVs for now. You know, introduce them a little.

Later Days!


	3. On The Right Track Part 3

OVERDUE CHAPTER ALERT!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Digimon franchise. If I did, there would be a season where there is only ONE major villain in the WHOLE story and there is an EPIC multi-part season final. This is why Avatar is awesome.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Chapter One: On the Right Track (3: Arrivals)

Gordi looked out the window as the blue train started to move. He blew a loose strand of greenish-black hair from his eyes as he watched the outside turn dark when they went into a tunnel. Looking back down at his phone, Gordi tried to call his brother again.

_"Not here. Don't call back."_

_BEEP!_

"Not again," Gordi groaned, putting the phone back in his pocket. He had been trying to call his brother to see where he was. He even tried looking for him back in the space-place-room-thing, but there were too many people. Where could his brother have gone?

"Where do you think this train is going?"

"This is gonna be awesome!"

"Wherever we're going, there'd better be burgers. I'm starving."

Gordi couldn't help but listen to the background chatter as he stared out at the darkness of the tunnel. It was all he could do right now. There were only a few other people in the carriage, but it still felt busy.

"Is Koichi alright?"

"Yeah, he just hung up on me."

"Why?"

"I heard someone scream in the background. That's probably got something to do with it."

"I hope everything's alright…"

"Oi, mate?" Gordi looked up at an older boy standing in front of him. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses, had scruffy red hair, tan skin and a camouflage-styled outfit in different colours. "You Gordon?"

"Uh… yeah?" The boy (Gordi guessed he was Australian or something) handed him a note. Gordi looked at the note and looked back up with a confused look. "Dude, what's this?"

"A mate of yours asked me to see if you were on here. Jason or something." Gordi stood up on his feet almost immediately.

"My brother's on here? Where is h-" Before he could finish, the train jerked, knocking everyone to the floor. Gordi rubbed his face for about the third time since waking up. "Dude, what the heck's going on?!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"You _sure_ you're alright?" Koichi asked for about the third time, a hand on Lin's shoulder. She had pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs by now, shivering. Despite this, she wore a weak smile and nodded her head.

"Y-yeah, I'm f-fine," she stuttered. Koichi smiled himself to reassure her. She definitely looked panicked enough.

"Hey, guys?" Both looked over at Haruki. He was scanning the area, a frown on his face. "Are we going faster?"

Koichi opened his mouth but words didn't come out. He was interrupted by a sudden jolt in the train's movement, and all three of them were knocked to the floor. The lights flickered and then went off completely, leaving the carriage in the dark.

Please _let this be what's supposed to happen!_ Koichi thought to himself. This was his first time going to the Digital World by Trailmon. Right now, going via coma didn't seem like a bad idea. It was better than not knowing what the heck was going on right now!

"What's that ringing?!" Lin screamed over the noise around them. Koichi didn't know how to reply. He had only just noticed it now, being honest. It was then that a bright glow emitted from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his cell phone, finding that not only was it the glowing object, but that the ringing sound was coming from it.

"HEY! CHECK YOUR PHONES!" Koichi yelled as the train's speed increased. He looked at the screen and saw a symbol he found familiar. A voice rang clear in his head.

_Koichi Kimura: Warrior of Darkness. Welcome back._

Koichi's phone started to glow purple and bright, and he felt it change shape in his hand. He turned his head away, the light blinding. The ring and noise of the train began to die down. The train slowed and a loud whistle sounded through all of the carriages. Light shone in from the windows and the glowing of cell phones ceased.

"…W-w-what… j-just… happened?" Lin stuttered next to Koichi. He looked at her panicked face and smiled.

"Don't worry. It's something good."

_At least I _hope_ it was._ Koichi looked at her shaking hand and noticed the lack of its phone.

"Hey, what happened to your cell phone?" he asked, pushing himself up to his feet. She looked up at him and shook her head in shock.

"I-I don't know! It just d-disappeared!" Lin explained. Koichi, with a puzzled look, reached out a hand to help her up.

_That's odd._

"Well, I got something." Both looked over at Haruki as he waved a familiar object in his hand. Its base colour was a dark, reddish-brown, and its second colour was a lighter brown. Koichi's expression switched from puzzled to thoughtful.

"A D-Tector," he mumbled. He felt Lin's gaze on him.

"A what?" Koichi reached down for her hand again and pulled her back up onto her feet.

"A D-Tector," he repeated. "It's this device that only certain kids have when they come to the Digital World. The kids are called DigiDestined." He noticed Haruki's suspicious look and Lin's sceptical (mixed with confused) one after his small explanation. She took a little step back as if she knew Haruki's next question.

"And how exactly do _you_ know so much about al of this?" he asked. Koichi lifted his hand and showed the both of them his own black D-Tector.

"Because I'm a Digidestined. And from the looks of it, you're one too."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Home, home on the raaaaaaaange! Where Deermon and Antelopemon plaaaaaaay!" yelled the pale brown Trailmon as it went along the single rail track. His teeth were sharp and pointed and two holes were above his mouth, steam blowing out of them every now and then. A gold hoop hung from the 'nose' and his wheels where guarded by spikes in the shape of a star, similar to a cowboy's star on a boot.

_[Name: Boot the Trailmon_

_A southern Trailmon, Boot normally stays within the deserts of the Digital World. He says that his trips are one-way and passengers should deal with it.]_

"Da-da-da-da-daaaaaaa, ba-ba-ba-ba-baaaaaaaaaaa… Aw, forget it, I don't know the rest anyway!" Boot sighed.

_[They must also deal with his singing, too.]_

Up ahead was the distant dot of the Flame Terminal. It wouldn't take long to get there, but it would still be a while. Once he dropped off his passengers, he'd be able to go back home. It wouldn't take too long to drop the humans off, considering he only had one passenger.

"Hey, kid, you OK in there?" his voice rumbled throughout the carriages. Boot strained his hearing to listen. But all he heard was snoring. He'd teach that slacker not to sleep at a time like this.

"Ahem. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" he bellowed, steam bursting out of his nose. His voice, combined with the whistle, was followed by a yell of surprise from inside.

_"Alright, alright, I'm up, quit yelling already!"_ Happy with himself, Boot went back to his tone-deaf singing.

"Oh Susanna, now don't you cry for meeeeeee! I come from The Digi-World with a banjo on my kneeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Boot couldn't hear the complaints over his own voice.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"So, let me get this straight." Haruki paced up and down the carriage, hands behind his back. He turned back around to face Koichi and Lin, who were sitting down a little further away. "You're one of these 'Digidestined' kids, and you've been to this Digital place before?"

"Yep and it's the Digital _World_," Koichi corrected. Haruki folded his arms and put on a thoughtful look.

"And these 'D-Tectors' help you 'Spirit Evolve'?"

"Right."

"Are there more Digimon like Impmon in this Digital World?" Lin asked, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Koichi looked away from Haruki to answer her.

"I've never met an Impmon, but yeah, there's lots of Digimon here." Haruki noticed that Lin didn't look too relaxed about that. Her fingers tightened their grip on her skirt.

"Oh… great."

"WOOH, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" Haruki did not expect that. Since he didn't, he had no chance to cover his ears (and he guessed that the other two didn't either). When the whistle stopped, Haruki's ears had some kind of buzzing-ringing-like sound.

"FLAME TERMINAL DEAD AHEAD!" While Haruki covered his ears, he kept a close eye on Koichi. He stood up, shook his head vigorously to try and get rid of the ringing, and yelled.

"Worm, could you be any louder?!"

"Sorry passengers! Your hearing will be back to normal within a few minutes, give or take!" Haruki could barely make out what this… 'Worm' said, but he still understood the sentence. He just had no idea where the voice was coming from.

"Don't worry about it!" Koichi called back, looking up at the ceiling. From the looks of it, he knew where the voice was coming from. Haruki noticed Lin looking from one boy to the other with a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked, raising her voice, "I can't hear a word you guys are saying!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Bokomon sat at his desk, scribbling notes in his journal about recent events. He felt that it was his duty to minute everything happening in this time, should such information become vital. Right now, Bokomon was writing about the Warriors.

_Just days ago, Gatomon sent out another string of messages to the children of the Human World. With luck, the Original Six will answer the call and understand the seriousness of this. Meanwhile, she also searches for the Missing Four._

Dipping his quill in the ink again, he continued.

_With their Spirits purified, the last four Legendary Warriors scattered around the Digital World, just like the others. Hopefully, they won't be captured and corrupted again. This disaster may need all ten._

_What worries me most right now is the time flow. It's gotten slower than before, and soon it may-_

"Bokomon, whatcha doing?" The Digimon snapped his journal shut and looked at Neemon, annoyed

"I am recording everything that's happening, as I told you TEN MINUTES AGO!!!" Neemon fell backwards from the sheer power of Bokomon's yell. Crawling out from the heap of books, he pulled out a small rock from behind his back.

"Bob wanted to know." Bokomon growled and smacked the rock out of his friend's hand. Panicked, Neemon ran to fetch the rock as it bounced out of the room. "Come back, Bob!"

"Can't you see I'm busy, you ignoramus?" Bokomon muttered, ready to continue with his writing. But Neemon came back before he could open the journal.

"By the way, Worm's here."

"WHAT?!" Neemon was blown back once again by Bokomon's outburst, with his rock bouncing out of the room once more. "You knew that he was back with possibly the DigiDestined and you just bother me with your ROCK?! WHY?!" the white Digimon demanded to know. Neemon shrugged.

"Bob's forgetful," he answered, holding up his rock once more (that he magically got back somehow). Furious, Bokomon took the rock, snapped Neemon's waistband ("OWEE!"), and threw 'Bob' out the nearest window.

"Fetch, you idiot!" As Neemon raced for his pet, Bokomon slid his journal into his waistband and marched out of the room. As he went, he mumbled angry, incoherent words.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"FLAME TERMINAL, TRAILMON STATION!" Worm yelled, pulling into the station. He screeched to a stop, steam rolling across the platform. The doors to all the carriages swung open, parting the cloud.

While the boys had already stepped out, Lin stood in the doorframe, taking a nervous stance. The floor was like cement, tan in colour with dark stains, and the walls were rusted and lined with bolts. The station was fairly big, but a certain air about it gave Lin an empty feeling. So far, this Flame Terminal didn't look all too inviting.

"Lin?" She looked at Koichi and noticed his calm expression. Comparing faces, she found that Haruki didn't look as eased. "You know, it's safe to come out." Lin shook her head.

"It's okay, I'll wait here," she insisted with a fake smile. Of course, Worm would have none of that. She forgot about the fact that the train was alive. A sharp whistle rang through Lin's head.

"All slackers, please exit through the door. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!" In milliseconds, Lin was being pushed out of the Trailmon by a big puff of steam, legs flailing and braids flying. She slammed her feet on the ground and skidded for about a yard or two, trembling like no tomorrow. "THAT'S BETTER!"

"You okay?" Lin felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't really know which of the boys was talking to her. She just nodded slowly.

"I-I-I'm f-f-f-f-f-fine."

"What the heck was that?!" Still shaken up, Lin looked in the direction of the new voice, as did the boys. There was a small group of kids around their age, standing a little ways away down the platform (and it looked as though they suffered the same fate as Lin). They looked like a mixed bunch, if Lin was honest, but she couldn't really put her finger on it.

The one who she believed had yelled (Lin could only guess) had his hands tangled in his curly hair. His glasses were big and round, close to slipping right off the end of his nose. His cloths were loose and baggy, and Lin noticed his poorly tied laces. Next to him was an African-Asian girl with short, dark hair (sporting a platinum-blonde streak along her fringe) and a street-style wardrobe.

"No need to pull your hair out, Specs, it's not like we're dead," the girl said in her English accent. Lin could have sworn she heard the girl mutter, "at least I hope not."

Next to her was a boy, a little younger than the first two, and all that could be said about him was that he had a bit of a skateboarder look. He had the scruffy hair, beaten-up cloths and plastered nose for it (Note: See bottom of page). A little girl with blonde pigtails and bright cloths stood next to him, hiding behind his leg. The resemblance in facial structure gave the impression that they were related.

"Dudes, any idea where we are?" the skater called across the space, spotting the other three. They had different responses: Lin shook her head, Haruki shrugged and Koichi nodded. Lin had to note, however, that Koichi didn't look too confident.

"This is the Flame Terminal. But it's different…" While Koichi trailed off, the curly-haired boy, referred to as 'Specs' by the looks of it, began to walk over.

"What do you mean it's-"

"OW! Watch it!" Specs jumped back with one foot in the air, his eyes bugging out at something on the ground. Lin followed his line of vision, and raised a hand to her mouth. It was a small, round creature with floppy ears. The grey being had squinty red eyes, and Lin felt a horrible sinking feeling. "You big lug! Watch where you step with those clown feet of yours, got it?!"

"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Specs yelled in a squeaky pitch. While the Digimon jumped up and down, spitting angry words, Lin took a nervous look around. She didn't like the sound of this.

"Hey! Lady!" Lin froze and slowly looked down at her feet, the grip on her bag getting tighter. There was a similar creature to the first sitting on the end of her shoe, grinning at her. "Got any chocolate?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Lin knew she'd regret it, but she was freaking out so much that she couldn't stop herself. She swung her leg high and sent the Digimon flying through the air in a perfect arc. He landed on the first one and the two both let out yelps of pain in sync. Lin darted to hide behind Koichi. "W-what are they?!"

"Pagumon, (Koichi frowned at the squabbling Digimon) and all I can say is that you shouldn't make them angry." Lin looked at the Digimon with wide eyes, feeling Haruki walk up next to her. She took a quick glance, seeing that he had a similar expression of panic.

"I'm just going on my gut with this, but I think it's a little too late to tell us that specific detail." Lin could only nod her head in agreement.

After blaming each other for the bumps on their heads, the Pagumon faced the two groups of humans, both glaring for their own reasons.

"You shouldn't have done that!" the one facing Specs growled. The other, an evil little smile on his face, eyed Lin (who still cowered behind Koichi).

"GET 'EM!" the Pagumon called.

It was at this point of time that the human children began to fear for the worst. The steam had cleared, and surrounding both groups were large numbers of Pagumon, all with dirty little looks. There was only one thing to do in this kind of situation. Run.

Koichi snatched Lin's wrist and made a break for it, unintentionally kicking Pagumon out of their way. While Haruki followed close behind, Lin looked to see if the other four were okay. Specs, frozen in fear, was being dragged along by his shorter friend, while brother and sister took another route. All she could do now was hope that they all managed to get away.

To describe what happened after that was near impossible. To Lin, it had all happened so fast. She remembered running through a street of some sort, and saw copper colours fly past her eyes, but Lin felt as though she were at a slower pace.

_Why… am I feeling so…?_

"In here!" Lin felt herself being yanked out of her thoughts. She stumbled and fell to her knees, both her hands now clutching her head. She couldn't even remember why she had been running. "We'll be safe if we just keep hidden and stay quiet."

"And what if they find us?"

"We run again."

"Gee, that really makes me feel better… hey, Lin?" Lin felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a blurred shape, but it sounded like Haruki's voice. "Something wrong?"

"…I… think so," she mumbled, her vision fading. "It's all just… a little…"

_…unbelievable…_

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

_"Lin? Sweetie, I thought you said you were in a hurry?"_

_Go to the nearest train station in the city and take the elevator on the ground floor._

"Helloooo?"

_"You pick one, get in, wait for it to stop and get off. It's not rocket science. Oh, and if you don't get a message after that, you stay put…"_

"Wakey, wakey, eggs 'n bakey!"

_"Try reaching for my hand!"_

_"You sure you're alright?"_

"Bob, I don't think she's waking up."

"…Mmmm…"

Lin squinted as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Had she fallen asleep? What happened?

…Of course. She got that weird message, then she went to the train station. Maybe the bizarre stuff from there was a dream, or a hallucination? She blamed the toast. Mom must have burnt it or something.

"You're right Bob, she _is_ alive!"

Lin's eyes snapped open. That voice did not sound like anything she had heard. Then again, the face that was right above her was something she hadn't _seen_ before.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" After a leap to her feet, her foot came into direct contact with Neemon's forehead. As he was flung across the room into a pile of books, Lin grabbed the pillow that had been under her head and held it in front of her in a defensive manner. "D-don't you dare eat m-me! And don't come any c-closer!"

The yellow rabbit sat up and rubbed his forehead, an open book on top of his head. He reached into his red pants and pulled out a rock.

"She must be the enenenemy (This misspelling is intended :P)! Go, Bob!" Neemon cried, tossing the rock. It was an effort in vain, as there was a distance of three metres between him and Lin's bed, and Bob landed about a foot away from his starting point. Neemon pouted. "Aw, Bob fainted. How many Digi-Dollars do I owe you?"

Lin blinked, a sense of realization coming to her. Of course, this must be a friendly Digimon. One that used… rocks? Still a little cautious, Lin gently placed the pillow back on the bed and sat on the thin mattress, her eyes following Neemon closely.

"Well… I guess you aren't _too_… dangerous… who are you?" she asked, her knees together and her feet apart. While the rabbit picked up his rock and dusted it off, he explained.

"I am Neemon, Keeper of my Pants!"

_Ooo… kay?_ Lin shook her head and tried to put on the friendliest smile she could muster. It didn't come out so confident. "Um, and j-just where _are_ we, Neemon?"

"A room filled with lotsa, lotsa books." Lin saw his (very, VERY obvious) point. It wasn't too big but it seemed to have room for a lot of books, scrolls and various other things. "I don't know if it's the kitchen or the bathroom, though, Bokomon never really told me." This sparked Lin's interest. She cursed her curiosity over carefulness nature sometimes.

"Who's Bokomon?" Neemon slid Bob back in his pocket and turned to look at Lin again.

"He's the Keeper of the Magic-Gumball-Supreme-Crayon-Whatchamicallit." Lin tilted her head, a little bewildered.

"A… what?" Before another word could come from the rabbit's mouth, there was a _SNAP!_, and Neemon was running around the room holding his side. Lin pressed her back against the wall behind her, a little scared of the new, white Digimon that had suddenly appeared.

"Just 'Book' will do, Neemon." Lin's eyes were big and she grabbed the pillow again. She held it over her head and shut her eyes tight.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening!" she whimpered to herself, her knees literally knocking together. There was a knock against her shin, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. "Y-you're not gonna e-eat me, are you?"

"Young lady, I will forgive you for assuming that I am a carnivore," Bokomon sighed, jumping up on the bed and snatching the pillow off of Lin's head. "Now if you would kindly pull yourself together, I would like you to follow me." The Digimon jumped back down and walked out of the room, a very gloomy Neemon walking behind him.

Lin grabbed the pillow and stuffed her face into it, rocking back and forth. Perhaps if she just lost a little oxygen, passed out and woke up again, she would just be lying on the front porch, her mother's anxious face looking at her. This all felt so unreal. She couldn't be making it up in her head. This was all too crazy to be from _her_ imagination.

"Lin? Something wrong?" Lin lifted her head out of the pillow. Koichi was standing in front of her, two cups in hand. Steam rose from the cups, a sign that it could be a hot beverage. "I thought you might be thirsty."

"Thank you." She smiled weakly as she took the drink Koichi offered. When she looked at it, she found it was green tea. She hadn't had this in ages, which was a surprise, because she loved it. Lin blew on it, took a sip and decided to ask the first question that could be heard clearly in the muddle that was her mind right now. "How long have I been…?" She was so dazed she couldn't finish. Koichi seemed to notice.

"Almost an hour. Bokomon and Neemon found us and brought us here. It's a lot safer from those Pagumon." As Lin took another sip of her tea (trying not to spill any with her shaky hands), Koichi smiled at her. "This is a bit much for you isn't it?"

"No, no, I'm fine, really," she laughed weakly, trying to perk up a little for Koichi's benefit. She didn't want anyone to worry about her if it was for nothing.

"…It's funny."

"Hm?" Lin looked up at Koichi's face. She couldn't really make out what emotion was on his face, but it look like he was slightly amused.

"You remind me of someone I know, but I don't know why." Someone he knows?

"It would be nice if you had actually followed me when I-"

_"EMERALD BLAZE!!!"_

And explosion just a short distance from their building shook the ground, cutting Bokomon off from his sentence. Lin and Koichi dropped their cups, spilling their tea at Neemon's feet.

"…Why is the floor so hot?" he asked, his pained delayed. Bokomon pushed himself up from the floor and ran over to the nearest window. Koichi left Lin's side and followed his lead.

"Cerberumon!"

"Who?"

"He's the Digimon that attacked our village years ago, but Swanmon said that his egg only just hatched a couple of months ago!"

Lin kept an ear in the conversation.

_More Digimon? Please let that noise sound worse than it actually is._

"Isn't it possible he might've Digivolved since then?"

"Digivolving is not as easy as a microwave dinner! Digimon don't grow that quickly unless certain conditions are met!"

_BOOM! CRASH!_

"There goes my favourite taco stand," Neemon moaned, rubbing his steaming feet. Lin hadn't bothered listening. She was focusing on the sound of fire, burning who-knows-what in its path. Just what had she gotten into? Why couldn't she have stayed at home?

She felt something grab her wrist, but by the time she saw Koichi's face, he was already pulling her out of the room.

"We have to go. Now." Lin could only nod and try to keep up her footing. They all ran down the small set of stairs and through the small kitchen on the lower floor. When they got outside, Lin saw just how small the copper house really was. She could also see the house next to it.

In fact, several houses nearby were on fire. But this fire was different. It was bright green and blazing hot, the heat reaching Lin from such a long distance. Groups of small Digimon were running by, panic in their eyes. The terrified cries took over her ears as Koichi yanked her away from the chaos.

"We'll hide in the forest," Bokomon instructed, "and wait until things die down!"

"What if that thing follows us?" She recognised the voice as Haruki's. "Then what?!"

"We pray for our lives, that's what! Koichi's spirit isn't working right now, so we can't do anything at the moment!"

From there, events seemed to happen in slow motion. Lin felt her ankle twist forward. She started to fall to the ground. Koichi's hold loosened for a split second. Lin's hand slipped from his grip. Her hands flung forward to soften her fall.

When Lin next looked up, she saw Koichi and the other boys disappear around the corner, forced along by the crowd. Seconds had barely passed when she realised that they were all gone. The only sound was the roar of flames behind her. She tried to get back up, but a stinging sensation stopped her. She looked at the ankle she had twisted and grimaced.

_"EMERALD BLAZE!"_

Lin's head snapped up in time to see a pillar of green fire shoot into the sky. It was too close nearby. In spite of her ankle, she had to run. Forcing herself up, Lin began to run in the direction she thought everyone else went, trying her best not to stumble.

Whether it was mere moments or long minutes, Lin didn't make progress despite her efforts and guesses. She had come to many forks in her path, choosing one out of those away from the fire. She took these brief pauses to take the weight off her ankle. The houses, bronze and copper in colour, were a blur to her eyes, the orange flames spitting from their turrets mean streaks of colour. Soon, a break of light was up ahead, a sign that this was the exit out of this maze.

As soon as Lin ran out through the last two houses, she skidded to a halt. Dead end. She was outside the train station again. The open platform, with its arched ceiling and single rail tracks. One thing she hadn't noticed before made her freeze in fear. The tracks still ran in mid-air, but it looked as though a big chunk of the earth had been snapped off. It just ended there.

"YOU! HUMAN, TURN AROUND!"

Lin felt shivers go up and down her spine. She was too scared to run. Even if she could, she wouldn't get very far. She would just get lost again. Reluctantly, Lin forced her feet to move. She turned to face the booming voice. What else was there left to do?

Standing a short distance away, in between the houses she had just run through, was a big, black creature. It resembled a dog, but that was all Lin could say to describe it right now. This must have been the Digimon everyone was talking about. Cerberumon, if she remembered right.

"…YOU'RE THE ONE." His deep growl sent chills through her. What did he mean? "MASTER, MY JOB HERE IS DONE."

Time slowed. Cerberumon opened his mouth, a bright green ball of flame already building up inside him. Lin urged her feet to move. She had to get away. But how?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Cliffhanger!!!

Hopefully the next chapter will be the last part of the first 'episode'. I really don't want to drag it out for too long, but I need to sort myself out. Clearly, I'm failing. DX GOMENNASAI!!! Chapters won't be THIS long afterwards, hopefully.

Also, Bob the rock. Recurring character: Yes or no?

Note: In England, a plaster is pretty much a Band-Aid/bandage. I don't actually know the other term for it.

Later Days!


End file.
